


Opened Doors

by vanishedSchism



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Five Times Format, I heard boys like getting flowers?, M/M, PTSD, Shiro may be Space Dad but Sam Holt is Dad Dad, and books, and desperately needed comfort after trauma, well here are boys giving boys flowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 09:59:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7356679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanishedSchism/pseuds/vanishedSchism
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The five times Shiro looked for Matt and the one time he found him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opened Doors

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of friends and I commented on the lack of Shiro/Matt fic currently in circulation. Here's an attempt to change that.
> 
> Also, Pidge is a trans boy and uses he pronouns in this fic.

1.

Shiro nudged the door open with his shoulder, his hands too full to actually use the knob. Matt's habit of not locking his door mystified Shiro, but he had to admit that it was helpful. 

"I was in the library last night and I was thinking about how excited you got about Europa when it was mentioned, so I found a couple of books that deal with..."

Shiro trailed off as he looked around the room. Then he spent an embarrassing couple of seconds trying to figure out the best way to transfer his stack of books into a single arm so he could salute with his other. "Commander!" 

"At ease pilot," the Garrison commander said. "As you can see, Holt isn't here. He's at the training deck, which is where you should be, you're getting a mission." 

Shiro saluted again, much more cleanly now that he was expecting it. "Yes Sir!"

As soon as the Commander dismissed him, he rushed to the training deck. He'd give Matt the books later, though it was starting to look like he might not have the time to read them. 

2.

Shiro ran a hand through his hair. He'd been to Matt's house before, well, the Holt house, before, so there was really no justification in being nervous now. Even if he was holding a bouquet of dahlias behind him back for his hopefully boyfriend this time around. 

He rolled his shoulders back and tried not to look too obviously nervous after knocking on the door.

To his disappointment, it wasn't Matt, but _Sam_ Holt that opened the door. 

"Oh, Shiro," the Captain said with a warm smile, "what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Holt! I," Shiro gulped and stood up straighter. "I was wondering if Matt was home." 

"There's no need for formalities Shiro, you can call me Sam." He continued before Shiro could correct himself. "Matt and Katie took the telescope and went down to the park, I don't think they'll be back anytime soon. Is there something you want to tell him?"

"Umm, no Mr.- Sam. I'll see you both at the launch," Shiro said with a nervous smile. He waited for Mr.Holt to close the door so he could safely turn around without revealing the flowers behind his back. Mr. Holt just stared at him. 

"You know, Shiro," he started to say, and Shiro wondered how rude it would be to just turn and run as fast as he could. He decided it would be, at the very least, unprofessional, and anyway, Mr. Holt was still talking. "It wasn't so long ago that I was standing in your position here. It didn't actually lead to the best relationship of my life- that happened after college, but it did change my life. Now, as long as those aren't for my daughter," Mr. Holt fixed him with such an intense stare that Shiro couldn't help but nervously shift, "I can take them and put them in a vase. Then you can tell Matt who delivered them when you see him."

Shiro was sure his entire face must be red, but he didn't see a lot of options for escape. Not with being rude at least. He silently held out the bouquet, and Mr. Holt had the grace not to say anything else as he accepted the flowers. 

"I'll uh, see you at the launch," Shiro stammered, "Bye Sam!" And then, as soon as the door closed, he ran. 

3.

Shiro paced the perimeter of the cell. It was empty apart from him. 

But that couldn't be right. He may have had a head wound, but Matt had been thrown in here with him. He was sure of it. They'd talked to each other. 

Hadn't they?

He kept pacing, closing his eyes as he tried to replay their last conversation. Matt had talked about the aliens. He was wondering how he could understand them. Shiro remembered how he stuck his finger in his ear to supposedly check for Babel fish. Shiro had been chuckling when the door opened and two of the aliens stepped into the cell.

Matt had screamed when one of them moved forward and grabbed him. He'd fought and tried to twist around so he could claw at its eyes. Shiro tried to stand, but was kept in place by the other one. He shook his head to dispel the memory, making the room rock a bit.

He turned when he heard the door open. "Matt?" he asked, his voice already brimming with concern. 

The alien guard that had opened the door gave him a look of what may have been disgust before sliding a bowl of some sort of greyish sludge toward him and then slamming the door. 

Shiro sighed and sat back down. There was no use exhausting himself. He even picked at the gruel, which was more tasteless than anything else. At least it filled one of his gnawing aches. 

4.

"No!" Pidge shouted, startling Shiro more than he'd care to admit. He wished he could say he was just unsettled by how _familiar_ everything was, this ship, the hallways, Pidge's posture and expression...

"Commander Holt is my father!" he went on. 

Surprisingly, Shiro's first thought was _"I would have left Matt."_

He pushed that to the back of his mind. It wasn't helpful and hurt more than anything else. He needed to focus on the mission at hand. 

"I'm coming with you," he said, startling Pidge out of his anger. Shiro wasn't sure how he hadn't realized it before, just how alike Pidge and Matt were. They had the same expressions, the same wide eyes, the same tiny smiles...

He wondered how reasonable he was being when he turned around and told Keith to go find the red lion on his his own. Logically, the lion was the more important target, but he wasn't lying when he said he knew where the prisoners were kept. The Galra gaurds decided it. He and Pidge ran one way, and Keith ran the other. 

Shiro led Pidge through the maze of hallways until he found the familiar door. Luckily Pidge was able to take over from there, because Shiro was starting to feel a little sick. 

He tensed as Pidge reprogrammed the camera and made the door begin to slide upwards. Whatever he saw in here, he had to be strong and he had to be able to move if a threat arose. Regardless of what state Matt and Sam were in, if they _were_ here, he had to be able to defend Pidge and himself should the need arise. He clenched his hands into fists, feeling the power running through his Galra arm. 

Pidge ran in as soon as the door was high enough. "Dad?" he called. 

Shiro could tell there weren't any humans in the room. No Sam, and no Matt either. He swallowed his disappointment and addressed the prisoners who were there, even as Pidge visibly deflated. "Don't worry," he said, "we're here to help you escape."

5.

"Shiro! Shiro, are you okay?!" 

Someone was squeezing his shoulders, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to remind him where he was. This wasn't the arena, he couldn't smell blood, he was sitting on tile, not sand. 

Shiro looked up, 

"Matt," he breathed, reaching for Matt's hand. 

But that hand jerked away as if Shiro had bitten it, and when he looked up at Matt's face, he realized why. 

"Pidge! Wait, I'm sorry!" 

It was too late, Pidge had already left. Shiro decided not to follow and sat back down on the floor. He'd have to apologize to Pidge later, some time when he didn't see the arena every time he closed his eyes. 

(1)

"It's Galra soldiers! I'll hold them off Shiro! Go get my brother!" 

Shiro didn't need to be told twice. Pidge's hands had been shaking too badly to hack the lock, so Shiro just punched his hand through the metal. 

Shiro ran into the room as soon as he'd yanked the door open. Matt lay in the middle of the room, on his back on what could only be an examining table. Heavy metal straps held his limbs down and Shiro tried not to think about just how familiar that position was. 

Instead he focused on Matt, who's head was turned to the side, showcasing the angry gash that split his cheek. Seeing him lying there, dirty and injured and in the same rags Shiro himself had spent so much time in made everything come flooding back. 

Sam being taken away, his interrogation, spending the night after huddled in Matt's arms, despite the other man having gone through the same thing barely a day earlier. And the arena of course, where he'd seen Matt for the last time. Even when he pressed his hand to the scanner at the door, he hadn't really believed that he'd ever see Matt again. 

But here he was, breathing, though faintly.

"Matt?" he tried again, walking closer. 

Matt's eyes opened slowly, but as soon as he saw Shiro, he started struggling. 

Shiro jumped back, trying to fight the disappointment, sadness, pain he felt at Matt's reaction. It only made sense, the last time they'd seen each other he'd attacked Matt, he was the Champion, a threat. Maybe he should get Pidge, the sounds of fighting outside were starting to die...

"Shiro?" Matt asked, his hoarse voice breaking into Shiro's thoughts. "Holy shit, you're alive? Please tell me... you are alive? I mean if this is the end, I guess there are worse ways to go, but then you'd look like you did last time right? In the arena. You have new scars, you're really here, aren't you?"

Shiro walked closer and placed his human hand on Matt's shoulder. He spent a precious moment, one more moment that Pidge had to defend them, squeezing Matt's shoulder. Not enough to hurt, just enough to make it clear that he was here, he was real. 

Matt looked up at him, and he was so happy, and his lips were so close, that it took all of Shiro's self-control not to lean in and kiss him. But his personal feelings would have to wait, Shiro's team needed him. 

"You are alive," Matt said with wonder as Shiro set to using his hand to sever the metal bands. Matt held still so Shiro didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting him. 

"So are you," Shiro said quietly as he helped Matt up. As he expected, Matt couldn't stand on his own. Shiro draped one arm across his shoulder and held Matt's waist with his hand. "Pidge!" he called, once Matt was in a position where he could walk, "we're coming out, how does it look out there?"

"All clear!" There was a second of silence, then Pidge shouted, "wait, did you say we? Is my brother there? Is he okay?" 

Then, before Shiro could bring Matt out of the room, Pidge burst in and threw himself into his brother. With Shiro's help, Matt was able to keep his feet and return the hug.

"Matt!," Pidge said, burying his face in Matt's chest, "you're okay, you're alive, I missed you so much! I'm sorry it took so long, I came as soon as I could." 

Matt was pale and had dark circles under his eyes, a poorly healing scar on his cheek and trembled, even with Shiro's help, but he smiled and squeezed PIdge tighter. "Thanks," he said, cutting into Pidge's rambling. "Both of you, thank you." 

Shiro smiled, and when Pidge finally detached himself and went to scout ahead, Shiro adjusted his grip so he could hold Matt a little closer before following.


End file.
